Wetherby Lidl: Fresh fury as residents accuse supermarket giant of 'manipulating system' with resubmitted Leeds store plans

Lidl GB and Springfield Healthcare submitted an updated planning application for a new supermarket, care home and senior living accommodation last week.

The resubmission, for the Mercure Wetherby Hotel site, comes just over a month after original plans were withdrawn and follows further technical work being undertaken to address points raised by planning officers.

However, the bid is set to receive a fresh wave of public backlash, with one local, who wishes to remain anonymous at this stage, accusing the supermarket giant of “playing games with the system.”

He said: “The new plan is almost identical to the old apart from a couple of very hard to spot tweaks, which could have been done as amendments rather than a withdrawal and resubmission. Lidl are playing games with the system.

"Why have they done this? I think it is an attempt to cancel the over 150 previous objectors' because some people will not understand that they need to send in fresh objections.”

The supermarket giant announced the plans last year, claiming more than 70 per cent of respondents were in support. However, some local residents hit back, claiming the site would be “marred” by a Lidl.

Plans would see a new supermarket with a 1,392 square metre sales area featuring Lidl’s much loved in-store bakery and customer toilets built on the site.

Local group, Better Wetherby, led local objections to the original plans raising concerns that another major supermarket would have “a significant adverse impact on the vitality and viability of Wetherby town centre.”

"The town is already well served with many excellent independent shops along with two supermarkets – Morrisons and ALDI – and food stores such as Marks and Spencer, the Co-op and Sainsburys Local", the group explained.

Speaking on the resubmitted plans, the anonymous resident added: “This looks like a very cynical attempt at manipulating the planning system to Lidl’s advantage in an attempt to get a very unpopular application through.”

These plans include a detailed landscaping scheme, with significant new tree planting and a landscape buffer to help screen the Lidl store from surrounding properties, which means that the store would not be visible from the roundabout.

The site would also include an 84-bed care home and eight senior living eco-homes for the over 55s, provided by Springfield Healthcare.

Speaking on the resubmission a spokesperson for Lidl GB said: “We are pleased to submit this updated planning application which would deliver a modern Lidl foodstore offering high quality produce at best value prices, enhance consumer choice and provide investment and greater shopping competition to Wetherby.

“We know there is significant community support for the scheme, with over 2,000 residents supporting during public consultation. We hope as many residents as possible ensure their voices are heard and register their support to Leeds Council.”

Overall, the multi-million pound development promises to create around 160 full and part-time jobs for the local community.